The Del Mar City Council on Monday unanimously approved applications for six nonprofit organizations that will allow them to host bingo as a fundraiser at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The City Council in October voted to allow bingo at the fairgrounds, but did not have any approved hosts.

The first bingo game will be 7 p.m., April 4 at Surfside Race Place, the fairgrounds' satellite wagering facility. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Fairgrounds management has been pursuing city approval for bingo games for more than a year. They see bingo as a way to generate money out of Surfside Race Place since satellite horse racing wagering has now taken a back seat to online and phone betting. In 1990, the fairgrounds averaged 2,453 daily attendees for satellite wagering. Surfside Race Place averaged 610 bettors per day last year.

Becky Bartling, the property's deputy general manager, estimated it would cost a charity $4,000 to put on a bingo session. The fairgrounds would charge $1,500 in rent. Bartling said, however, that she anticipates at least 150 players at each session, which she said would more than cover the costs.

The fairgrounds would also host bingo games through its own nonprofit organization called Friends of the San Diego County Fair. That organization, which is hosting the April 4 game, would be able to allocate some of its proceeds to capital improvements on the property.

The fairgrounds will hold bingo sessions each evening at 7 p.m. It will also host bingo at 11 a.m. on Fridays and at 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Each session lasts three hours.

The six nonprofits that received Del Mar approval are Friends of the San Diego County Fair, the fairground's Don Diego scholarship fund, Encinitas Country Day School Parent Teacher Organization, Southern California Yeshiva High Tech, Camp Binyan Torah, and the Del-Sol Lions Club.